The country is stepping up its effort to improve infrastructure, with a focus on water conservation facilities in rural areas, with a launch of 70 billion yuan ($11.29 billion) in separate investments this year, a senior official said on Wednesday.

This year’s spending from the central government’s budget on agriculture, rural areas and farmers will be more than last year’s total, both in dimension and proportion, said Li Pumin, spokesman for the National Development and Reform Commission, at a news briefing.

Backed by the Central Economic Work Conference’s resolution on modernizing agriculture, the NDRC will invest in dams, irrigation facilities and rivers, Li said.

The budget will also be partially allocated to upgrade water, electricity, road and gas facilities in rural areas, he said.

In 2013, over 220 billion yuan, or nearly 50.6 percent, of the central government’s investment budget went to rural areas, according to a statement recently released by the commission.

The statement said more than 15,000 small reservoirs in rural areas were reinforced, around 210,000 kilometers of rural highways completed, and 2.7 million dilapidated houses renovated last year. He said 63 million farmers currently have safe drinking water.

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